Bottle processing machines, bottle conveyors and bottle storage devices where bottles are held with a holder are known. For example, DE 29 71 35 10 discloses a rotary filling machine having holding elements for bottles which are arranged rigidly on a rotor or so that they are adjustable in height.
EP 0 721 808 describes a bottle washer for containers in which the containers can be held with holders which are pivotably mounted on a rotor.
EP 1 295 820 A1 discloses a dynamic bottle storage mechanism having a plurality of endless chains which are loaded with gripper-type holders for gripping containers at the neck.
The disadvantage of these known machines and/or conveyors is that the holders are designed for only one bottle size, so that always only one type of bottle can be processed and/or conveyed. Although it is possible to replace the holders in order to be able to process other bottles, these retooling jobs take a relatively long amount of time so that considerable costs are associated with retooling the machinery.
Grippers designed so they are able to hold bottles of different sizes are also known. However, these grippers are either very complex mechanically or they are able to secure bottles of different sizes only inadequately.